Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $1,684 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan and in Montevideo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Juan and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,684 per month in San Juan vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Juan $1,684
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $2,772 per month in San Juan vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Juan $2,772
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $3,861 per month in San Juan vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Juan $3,861
Montevideo $3,708

San Juan is about 5% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Juan and Montevideo sit above the global median – San Juan by 25%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,541

$15.16 UYU 609

-18.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-11.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 ₡5,139

$14.65 UYU 588

-21.77%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,982

$4.46 UYU 179

-0.90%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,240

$2.67 UYU 107

3.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡870

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,483

$4.83 UYU 194

-31.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡1,996

$3.80 UYU 152

17.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,052

$1.36 UYU 54.8

72.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,425

$2.87 UYU 115

10.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.75 UYU 70.2

43.43%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,551

$4.68 UYU 188

-26.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,782

$13.88 UYU 557

-23.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₡4,633

$11.98 UYU 481

-13.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,233

$11.97 UYU 480

16.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 ₡2,230

$2.78 UYU 111

78.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$2.74 UYU 110

-41.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 ₡2,079

$1.77 UYU 71.2

162.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,771

$3.24 UYU 130

21.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,731

$1.97 UYU 79.2

95.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,684

$2.07 UYU 83.1

81.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡479

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-21.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,379

$1.88 UYU 75.3

63.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,691

$5.59 UYU 224

7.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.72 ₡8,844

$8.78 UYU 352

124.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,236

$2.26 UYU 90.9

22.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,654

$2.75 UYU 110

34.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡614

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-10.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,079

$1.91 UYU 76.7

26.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$0.40 UYU 16.18

285.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 ₡3,849

$10.33 UYU 415

-16.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡695

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-27.23%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-20.19%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.9K ₡15.6M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-3.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$188 UYU 7,557

-48.82%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.06 ₡15.7K

$20.54 UYU 824

70.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 ₡26.6K

$44.81 UYU 1,798

32.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.0K

$54.0 UYU 2,166

23.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ₡3,362

$11.95 UYU 480

-37.24%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,001 ₡449.1K

$634 UYU 25.5K

57.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

52.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 ₡31.8K

$102 UYU 4,099

-30.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.8K

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-3.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡56.6K

$127 UYU 5,079

-0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.2K

$128 UYU 5,131

4.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₡321.3K

$719 UYU 28.8K

-0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₡266.1K

$568 UYU 22.8K

4.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ₡829.6K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

61.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₡621.4K

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

35.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.74

50.17%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$593 35.2%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 4.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$398 23.6%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 16.7% $66

Eating Out

San Juan

$231 13.7%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 16.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.3%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 33% $63

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$174 10.3%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 7.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.9%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 4.9% $4

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 440% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $717 in San Juan versus $719 in Montevideo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Juan versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $398 in San Juan vs $332 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

3 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Montevideo 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
Montevideo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Juan vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,526 per month in San Juan and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Juan and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $1,684, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.